Here’s a quirky and interesting movement taking flight in the Northwest—Seattle, to be exact, one of the most literary cities I have ever lived in and continue to visit (I’ll be there for the duration of Chompipe Days—that’s Turkey Days for y’all pilgrims).
Seattle has Elliot Bay Book Co. Need I say more? Open Books: A Poem Emporium. Please, stop! And of course, how could I forget the Richard Hugo House? Joining the mix, LOCCAL—League of Citizens Concerned About Literature.
In brief, this organization decided to address two issues—the lack of poetry in spaces outside the usual venues, like bookstores and poetry readings, and the lack of attention to personal cleanliness, like brushing one’s teeth or washing one’s hands. From their press release:
LOCCAL founders Pete Miller and Rachel Kessler decided to explore the relationship between these hygiene and literary deficiencies by putting out a call for poems to appear on public health posters. Ten poems by poets from around the country (and one Canadian) were selected, printed with an illustration, and laminated for distribution in coffee shops, movie theaters, bars, et cetera. “Picture those small signs that Public Health puts above restroom sinks,” Miller explained. “We were looking for a fun way to get poetry to the people in a way they wouldn’t expect. This is poetry that might actually inspire people directly and instantly perform a concrete action…and Auden said ‘poetry makes nothing happen!’”
I received my copies of the set not too long ago because I was curious about this effort to make poetry more public via public spaces that are, uhm, actually private (?). Anyway, the strategy aims to be entertaining and, well, educational—not only about poetry, but about the need to keep oneself germ-free.
The posters range from the esoteric to the histrionic like the one that contains this in-your-face couplet:
Kinds in Japan play in sterilized sand…
Wash your damn hands.
Ah, leave it to Seattle to be creative and innovative with its instructive arts. When I moved there temporarily in 2001, I was assailed with such proud trivia as: Seattle has the highest population with CPR training (all those medical facilities); Seattle has the highest per capita intake of calcium (lattés, anyone?); and Seattle is the most educated city in the nation (degrees abound!). But it’s not the number one book-buying city in the U.S. And no, it’s not New York City either. That distinction belongs to Austin, Texas. Look it up.
I have slipped into a Seattle love-fest because, outside of NYC, it’s my favorite city in the U.S. Whenever I release a new book, Seattle is a must-stop on the tour, and what a crowd!
Anyway, I’m off to Seattle, home of grunge, Starbucks and Amazon.com, where I can get my espresso on at any street corner on Capitol Hill and then waltz down to Bell Town for tapas. I’ll be checking above the bathroom sinks for literary graffitti.
Hooray for Austin, Texas – my hometown. Sadly, despite our book-buying prowess, it’s become harder and harder for independent bookstores to survive here. I’m not anti-corporate enough to bemoan the presence of Barnes & Noble, it’s more than bookstores aren’t utilized as venues for author-audience interaction, at least in a high profile sense. We have BookPeople, and they host regular events. However, they are an exception. There are some quality small time indie bookshops, such as MonkeyWrench Books, however, but they’re out of the way and a bit too political for the average browser.
Posted By: Cuitlamiztli Carter on November 19, 2007 at 7:39 pmI wish Austin had more visible literacy movements. I think our book-buying may come from having a well-regarded and large state university in our city limits, along with the capitol.
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